WINNING LETTER
Most women dread their birthdays as the years go by, and this is no different in my case. On my 29th birthday earlier this year, I had come to a point that I was fed up with the state my health and fitness. I looked back over the last 29 years, and I didn’t have anything to feel proud of. So I decided I need to achieve something great by my 30th birthday and set my goal for July next year: To lose 30kg by the time I am 30 and finish a triathlon.
My biggest challenge in completing the triathlon is the running leg. I am a strong swimmer and have been getting into cycling over the last two months, but I suffer with shin splints and have to rest long periods between runs. I am hoping that by losing a great deal of the weight will assist with the running getting easier and help me to achieve my goal.
Thanks for your great magazine with all the helpful info and motivational stories. I plan on being your motivational insert come July 2012. – Sheila Kruger
I’m not a runner
I’m not fast, never have been and never will be. This, together with the fact that I don’t like running in circles, and prefer chasing balls, are probably the main reasons why I never got into running when I was younger.
So imagine my surprise when a friend suggested we do a 10km race at the end of last year and I actually enjoyed it. Maybe not the running so much, but the atmosphere at the race reminded me of school f?tes and sport days, except this time I was allowed to have beer, so it was even better! Needless to say, I was immediately hooked and have since braved the roads on early mornings, late afternoons and even weekends… something I never saw myself doing.
I’ll admit, I still do it mostly for the atmosphere on race day where I get to enjoy Johannesburg’s awesome sunshine and boerewors rolls without feeling guilty, but most of all, I feel like I’m one of the cool kids. And the running isn’t all that bad either! So thank you to the running community for welcoming me with open arms. You guys rock! – Marike Havenga
All aboard!
I heard about a marathon runner in England who caught a bus from the 32km mark to the 41km mark to achieve third place and improve his PB by 21 minutes! If I had known this was an option I would have taken on the Comrades a long time ago! Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt; perhaps he was just trying to catch the sub-3:00 bus. – Kate, Woodlands
